Battle of Verrières Ridge

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Battle of Verrières Ridge Part of Operations Atlantic and Spring during the Battle of Normandy in World War II Canadian soldiers under fire near Fleury sur Orne in the early hours of July 25, 1944 Date July 19, 1944 – July 25, 1944 Location Verrières Ridge, 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of Caen, Normandy, France Result Defensive German Victory, Canadian forces fail to seize ridge and take heavy casualties, German counterattacks make minor gains.[1] Belligerents  Canada  Germany Commanders Guy Simonds Charles Foulkes Günther von Kluge Sepp Dietrich Kurt Meyer Wilhelm Bittrich Strength 2 Infantry Divisions, 1 Armoured Brigade 3 Panzer Divisions, 1 Infantry Division[2] Casualties and losses 1800 killed 2,000 wounded or captured Unknown 1Discussed in detail in "Casualties"

v • d • e Battle of Normandy Neptune – Tonga – American Airborne Landings – Sword – Juno – Gold – Omaha – Utah – Pointe du Hoc – Brécourt Manor – La Caine – Perch – Carentan – Villers-Bocage – Cherbourg – Epsom – Charnwood – Jupiter – Goodwood – Atlantic – Verriéres Ridge – Spring – Cobra – Bluecoat – Totalise – Lüttich – Tractable – Falaise – Brest – Paris

The Battle of Verrières Ridge was a series of engagements fought as part of the Battle of Normandy during the Second World War. The main combatants were two Canadian infantry divisions, with additional support from the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade, against elements of three German SS Panzer divisions. The battle was part of the British and Canadian attempts to break out of Caen, and took place from July 19 – July 25, 1944, being part of both Operation Atlantic (July 18 – 21) and Operation Spring (July 25 – 27).

The immediate Allied objective was Verrières ridge, high ground dominating the route from Caen to Falaise. The ridge was invested by battle hardened German veterans, who had turned it into a strong defensive position. Over the course of six days, substantial Canadian and British forces made repeated attempts to capture the ridge. Strict German adherence to defensive doctrine, as well as strong and effective counterattacks by Panzer formations, resulted in heavy Allied casualties for little strategic gain.^[3]

From the perspective of the First Canadian Army, the battle is generally seen as containing many tactical and strategic mistakes, including a costly and highly controversial attack by the Royal Highland Regiment (Black Watch) of Canada on July 25. Over the years, it has become one of the most contentious and most critically analysed battles in Canadian military history.^[4][5][6]

[edit] Background

The geography of Verriéres Ridge and the surrounding area

Verrières ridge is 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of Caen, and was a major objective of Commonwealth forces landing on D-Day.^[7] The ridge overlooks the broad plains south of Caen, and dominates the countryside between Caen and Falaise. After the D-Day landings, the Allies were stopped short of the city of Caen, a major Operation Overlord objective,^[8] and positional warfare ensued until the first week of July. On July 11, Operation Charnwood succeeded in taking the northern half of Caen. However, strong armoured formations of the I SS Panzer Corps under Sepp Dietrich managed to thwart British ambitions.^[9] On July 18, 1944, British forces launched Operation Goodwood and took the remainder of Caen although the city was left devastated.^[10] After Caen, the next Anglo Canadian objective was the town of Falaise but the heavily defended Verrières ridge stood in their path.^[1] Elements of the British Second Army reached the foot of Verrières ridge and secured part of the adjacent Bourguebus ridge but Verrières itself had yet to be taken, and this was assigned to the newly arrived II Canadian Corps.^[11]

[edit] Forces involved

The II Canadian Corps initially assigned two infantry divisions and one armoured brigade to the assault on Verrières. The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division had taken heavy casualties during the first six weeks of the Normandy campaign, and was thus given a support role.^[12] The fresh (though relatively inexperienced) 2nd Canadian Infantry Division would provide the bulk of the firepower and assault units.^[13] The 2nd Canadian (Armoured) Brigade provided armoured support.^[14]

Later, the Canadians were reinforced by three divisions from the British I Corps: the 51st (Highland) Division, the Guards Armoured Division, and the British 7th Armoured Division,^[15] which all had significantly more combat experience than the three Canadian units.^[11] All of the attacking forces were under the command of Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds, the overall commander of II Canadian Corps and of the offensives aimed at taking Verrières Ridge.^[16] However, these divisions played a very minor role in the overall battle.^[17]

As British forces attacked Caen, forces of Sepp Dietrich's I SS Panzer Corps, (part of Field Marshal Gunther von Kluge's Army Group B), had turned Verrières Ridge into their main defensive position along the Anglo Canadian front.^[4][18] Although not particularly imposing, the geography around the ridge meant that the Germans were capable of firing at advancing forces from three sides (across the Orne, from the ridge itself, and from "the factory" area south of St Martin).^[19] Two main combat formations, the 12th SS Panzer Division and 1st SS Panzer Division, held the ridge with hundreds of guns, Tiger tanks and mortars.^[20] A third formation, the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen, was held in reserve.^[20] In addition, the three SS panzer divisions were given support by the 272nd Grenadier Infantry Division, a force composed mainly of Russian and Polish combatants that had been raised as one of the "270 divisions" in late 1943.^[3] German forces also held reserves of the 116th Panzer Division and a battalion of Tiger tanks.^[21]

[edit] Attack of Calgary Highlanders

On July 19, 1944, as part of a follow-up to Operation Goodwood, the Calgary Highlanders launched an attack to take the northern spur of Verrières Ridge but German mortar fire was so accurate that they made few gains.^[22] Tanks from the Sherbrooke Fusiliers were sent in support of the battalion and eliminated several machine gun positions on either side of Point 67 itself.^[6] Despite accurate return fire, the Calgary Highlanders eventually managed to dig in on Point 67 (on the northern edge of the ridge).^[6]

Over the next several hours, repeated attempts were made to exploit the position, mainly by 5th and 6th Canadian Infantry Brigades, which were repulsed with heavy casualties by "tenacious" German defenders from four divisions.^[6] German tanks and infantry made minor counterattacks against the Canadian positions. By that point, however, the Calgary Highlanders had established strong defensive positions on Point 67.^[6]

In order to exploit the foothold made on the ridge (both by the Calgary Highlanders and by the British during Operation Goodwood), General Simonds, commander of II Canadian Corps, rapidly prepared an offensive to take the eastern side of the Orne and the main slopes of Verrières Ridge,^[6] scheduled to begin on July 20, 1944.^[18]

[edit] Operation Atlantic

General Guy Simonds, the senior Canadian commander for the battle, during an inspection tour before D-Day. PAC Photo.

The next attack, on July 20, 1944, came under the banner of Operation Atlantic, and was made by The South Saskatchewan Regiment, with supporting units from the Cameron Highlanders.^[6] In the early hours of July 20, the Highlanders were able to secure a position in St Andre-sur-Orne, but were quickly tied down by accurate German counterattacks.^[23] The South Saskatchewan Regiment itself moved directly up the slopes of Verrières Ridge.^[6] Their attack began with full support from tanks and Hawker Typhoons. However, the attack ran into torrential rain, rendering the air and armoured support useless, and the infantry began to falter in the mud.^[4] By the end of the day, the South Saskatchewan Regiment had taken 282 casualties, while failing to secure the ridge.^[6] Heavy German counterattacks by a pair of panzer divisions caused the "South Sasks" to retreat past their support lines.^[24] Further attacks struck the supporting battalion, the Essex Scottish, inflicting over 300 casualties as they tried to hold back the advance of the 12th SS Panzer Division.^[4][25] To the west, the remainder of the I SS Panzer Corps counterattacked British forces in the largest armoured battle of the campaign.^[26] Despite these setbacks, General Guy Simonds was adamant that Verrières ridge must be taken, and sent in the Black Watch and The Calgary Highlanders in order to stabilize the precarious Allied position.^[19] Minor counterattacks by both regiments on July 21 managed to prevent further advance by German armoured formations.^[24] In total, attacks on Verriéres during Operation Atlantic accounted for over 1,100 Allied casualties.^[24] By the end of Operation Atlantic, Canadian forces held several footholds on the ridge,^[27] including a now secure position on Point 67.^[28] However, four German divisions still held the ridge itself.

[edit] Operation Spring

The starting lines of Operation Spring, showing layout of divisional and battalion forces for both sides

With the capture of Caen on July 19, a Commonwealth breakout in the area was now strategically feasible.^[19][27] Simultaneously in the American sector, General Omar Bradley, Commander of the US forces, was planning his own breakout—Operation Cobra.^[27] Guy Simonds began planning his offensive, codenamed Operation Spring. Originally, Spring had been designed by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery as a "holding attack", with the intention of tying down German forces while Operation Cobra was underway.^[29] On July 22, 1944, however, General Guy Simonds changed the objective of Operation Spring to one of a breakout offensive.^[30] If Verrières Ridge could be taken, Simonds would be able to exploit his position with armour and artillery attacks, pushing the Germans back and allowing for strong offensive capability south of the ridge.^[5] From there, two British armoured divisions would push south along the Caen—Falaise Road, with the eventual objective of Falaise.^[30] The offensive was scheduled in four tightly timed phases. The Calgary Highlanders would attack Bourguebus ridge and May-Sur-Orne, in order to protect Verrières's flanks, while the Black Watch would attack Verrières Ridge on July 25, along with armoured support from the British 7th Armoured Division and the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division.^[5][31] The original plan called for the attack to take place on July 23, but "inclement weather" postponed the operation for forty eight hours.^[28] During the two day period, 1 SS Panzer Korps reinforced the ridge with an additional four battalions, 480 tanks, and 500 guns.^[2][32] Ultra received reports of this, and sent them to Simonds's HQ.^[2][19]

[edit] Attack of the Black Watch

The Black Watch was instructed to take Verrières Ridge on July 25, along with the Calgary Highlanders, who attacked May-sur-Orne in an attempt to secure the flank of the assault. They were to attack at approximately 05:30 from their assembly area at St Martin, along with armoured units and artillery cover.^[19] However, they ran into heavy German resistance on the road to St Martin, and did not even arrive at their assembly area until close to 08:00. By that time, the two highest ranking officers, Lt. Col Cantlie and his senior commander, had been killed. Command of the Black Watch passed to 24 year old Major Phil Griffin.^[2] At 08:30, he met with 5th Brigade's Commander, Brigadier General W.J. Megilland, and planned his assault.^[33] As only minimal armoured support had arrived by that point, the decision was made for the infantry to attack alone. When they moved up the ridge at 09:30 (in broad daylight, walking in a straight line), they were easy targets for well entrenched German defenders, who were equipped with tanks, 88mm anti tank guns, Nebelwerfer rocket artillery, machine gun nests and dozens of mortar pits.^[2][19] To make matters worse, communications were knocked out within minutes of the start of the advance.^[5] Very few members of the Black Watch managed to make it to the crest of the ridge.^[34] On the reverse slope, they were subject to even heavier bombardment, as they ran into the counterattacking forces of the 272nd Infantry Division, as well as the 9th SS's Battle Group Sterz.^[35] Of the 325 men that left the assembly area, 315 of them were either killed, wounded, or captured in the course of the battle.^[5][34] All senior commanders of the Black Watch were killed, and two entire companies virtually annihilated.^[5] July 25 marked the costliest single day for a Canadian battalion since the Dieppe Raid of 1942.^[34]

[edit] Aftermath

German counterattacks in the aftermath of Operation Spring, July 25–26, 1944

All of the ground gained during the battle by the Black Watch and Calgary Highlanders was lost in German counterattacks, which inflicted heavy casualties on the Highlanders and the previously unscathed Black Watch support company.^[36] The Black Watch had to be reformed after Verrières ridge—the casualty rates they had sustained were the highest in any Canadian infantry battalion for the remainder of the war.^[37] Although the Essex Scottish Regiment would suffer heavier losses over the course of the entire war, many of these were taken in the Dieppe Raid of 1942, in which Black Watch participation was minimal.

The soldiers killed at Verrières Ridge are buried in Bretteville, a Canadian war cemetery between Caen and Falaise.^[19] The central area of the ridge (Verrières Village) was eventually taken by the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, and held.^[2][38] The east side was also taken, but subsequently lost, although a pair of British armoured brigades were able to secure significant footholds near the positions of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry.^[39]

The failure to capture the ridge had little effect on the overall Allied position, as the success of Operation Cobra was so overwhelming that the Germans diverted significant resources, including all three panzer divisions, from the ridge in their attempt to keep Bradley's Americans boxed in.^[37][40] With its defences weakened, subsequent attacks on the ridge were successful, and it finally fell to Commonwealth forces on August 8.^[41] After repeated attacks, Operation Totalise finally managed to take the ridge from its SS defenders.^[42]

[edit] Casualties

Casualty figures for Canadian forces in the battle are subject to some scrutiny, given that each operation had differing casualty rates (each of which were subject to their own varying degrees of investigation and variation).^[43] The accepted toll for Operation Atlantic is put at 1,349 total casualties,^[6] with approximately 300 fatalities.^[13] However, the number of soldiers wounded and captured was significantly higher.^[13]

The casualty figures for Operation Spring are also commonly accepted to be within the vicinity of 500 killed and 1000 wounded or captured.^[5][19] Of these, some 315 casualties out of 325 soldiers were taken by the Royal Highland Regiment of Canada, the heaviest Canadian casualty rates of the entire Normandy conflict.^[44] If the casualty figures for Atlantic and Spring are taken to be correct, the total casualties for Canadian forces amount to approximately 2,800 casualties, 800 of which were fatalities.^[45]

A majority of the casualties taken by Canadian forces throughout the battle were wounded and/or captured. Frequently, wounded soldiers were left on the battlefield, as the combat zones were too dangerous to allow for medical evacuations.^[46] In many cases, those wounded also became POWs in the aftermath of the battle.

[edit] Historiography and controversy

General Sir Bernard Montgomery (eighth from left) talking with Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds (ninth from left) at 2nd Canadian Corps Headquarters in Normandy, France, 20 July 1944. Photo by Lt. Donald I. Grant.

German history does not place any particular significance on the battle of Verrières Ridge. However, the battle has earned itself the distinction of being one of the most scrutinised battles in the history of the First Canadian Army.^[1] Simonds's official report on Operation Spring, released after the war, blamed "11th hour reinforcement" of German lines and "strategically unsound execution on the part of Major Phillip Griffin and the Black Watch" for the failure of Operation Spring.^[48] However, recently declassified ULTRA documents show that Simonds, as well as several others in the high command, had likely been notified on July 23 of a massive German buildup on the ridge.^[49] Some historians, including David O'Keefe and David Bercuson, use this information to accuse Simonds of being too careless with the lives of his men.^[19][37] In contrast, historians such as Terry Copp and John A. English argue that, given the amount of pressure that all allied commanders—especially Bradley and Simonds—were under to break out from Normandy, it is likely that Simonds had little choice in the decision he made.^[42][50]

Operation Spring did succeed in its later defined objective of a "holding attack",^[51] and aided the overwhelming success of Operation Cobra by tying down powerful German formations that might otherwise have been in the American sector, thus precluding any immediate inquiry into its failure. The German commander of the Normandy Sector, von Kluge, was at the Canadian front on July 25 instead of the American front where the eventual breakout occurred.^[41][52] However, the Battle of Verrières Ridge had little overall effect on British attempts to break out of Caen, as significant resources were transferred to the American Front in the aftermath of Cobra to exploit Bradley's success, and the ridge eventually fell to the general Allied advance.^[42][53]

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Verrieres Ridge, a Canadian Sacrifice
• Black Watch Regiment at Verrieres Ridge, History Television
• Canada at War, Operation Atlantic & Verrières Ridge